Clerk, Enterprise and Business Committee National Assembly for Wales Cardiff Bay CF99 1NA Via Email: [email protected] 14 May 2014 The National Assembly for Wales’ Enterprise and BusinessBusiness Committee Inquiry into TTourourismism Introduction National Parks were designated to protect and enhance the most beautiful and imposing landscapes in the UK. Each National Park is different in terms of their landscape character; historical and cultural heritage. The statutory designation recognises the national importance of such landscapes and gives them a high degree of protection. There are three National Parks in Wales covering an area of 4122 sq km. This represents approximately 20% of the land area of Wales. Snowdonia was designated in 1951 followed by Pembrokeshire Coast in 1952 and Brecon Beacons in 1957. National Parks are of great importance to the Welsh tourism industry. The National Parks are also regularly cited as Wales’ most recognisable destinations. The 2013 report by Arup ‘Valuing Wales National Parks’ advised that the tourism monitoring data showed the National Parks had over 12 million visitors. This equates to an annual injection of spending into the Welsh economy of around £1billion with the Welsh Tourism Industry general accounting for £4.5 billion. The Report proposes that visitors to the National Parks represent a sizeable proportion of the Welsh Tourism industry. National Parks Champion Sustainable Tourism The principles of sustainable tourism guide the approach of National Park Authorities. These principles can ensure that growth in international and home market tourism in National Parks can be managed appropriately. We view sustainable tourism as the future of tourism, not an accessory; and we consider partnership working the most effective method of promoting this approach. Partnerships such as the Destination Management Partnerships (DMP) serve to promote the Parks to visitors, improve understanding of the importance of the natural environment to the tourism industry and to help Visit Wales deliver against national tourism targets. In addition, the National Park Authorities have 2 accessed Welsh Government partnership funding over a number of years with the aim of fostering partnerships based on delivering on the principles of sustainable tourism. High Quality Environments Bring Value to the Tourism Brand Visit Wales data affirms that the National Parks are hugely important to the tourism sector. In particular the 2012 Visit Wales Visitor Survey showing ‘quality of the natural environment’ is the trip asset which receives the highest satisfaction rating 9.5 for all three markets (day, domestic and international). In the Welsh Government’s Tourism Strategy, the distinctiveness of our Protected Landscapes has been recognised as a vitally important part of our product offer and ‘brand’. This ‘brand’ of ‘high quality environments, culture and heritage’ has not appeared by accident. The ‘brand’ is the result of careful management, planning controls, development and promotion by National Park Authorities. Local Authorities, Welsh Government, Visit Wales and its agencies and the private and voluntary sectors. It is important to note that the funding and remit of National Park Authorities does not cover the direct marketing of tourism within National Parks, The National Parks ‘brand’ is an internationally important one recognised the world over. Irrespective of the country of origin visitors understand that they will experience high quality, unique landscapes and natural features that are managed to a high standard. This means that National Park Authorities work with key agencies, such as Visit Britain to deliver against national tourism targets. 1.1.1. The clarity and strength of Wales’s tourism “brand”“brand” In ‘Partnership for Growth’ the Welsh Government Strategy for Tourism 2013-2029’, the natural environment is identified as one of five areas of competitive advantage, pointing to’ a landscape of high scenic quality, a unique coastline and a diversity of experiences contributing to our visitors’ mental and physical wellbeing. The report states that ‘We need to take full account of the major asset represented by Wales Natural Environment and consider how to use its characteristics for growing tourism sustainably.’ The importance of a high quality environment, as is found in our National Parks, is vital to the Wales tourism brand as evidenced in Visit Wales research. Names like Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons, and Pembrokeshire Coast resonate with the customers and potential customers in our main market that is the UK, and increasingly in our overseas markets too. With a focus on cultural, historic and natural assets, the current ‘brand’ promoted by Visit Wales and other marketing agencies aligns well with Wales’s National Parks tourism offer, however we believe even more could be done to showcase National Parks as the jewels in the crown of Wales. National Parks are living and vibrant destinations offering a blend of adventure and tranquillity, and branding must reflect this diversity. National Parks are high profile destinations with a clear, well-established tourism offer, and the branding of National Parks by Visit Wales should be based on existing strengths. 3 We support the marketing of a clearly defined brand, based on our variety of landscapes, nature, activity and cultural heritage. Within the Brecon Beacons National Park the local Destination Brand is being developed locally as a marketing partnership, resourced with money from the Interreg fund. 2.2.2. The effectiveness of Welsh Government attempts to mmaximiseaximise the value of the domestic tourism market Ensuring that marketing activity appeals to the domestic market is crucial to the vibrancy of the tourism sector in localities increasingly dependent on income derived from tourism related activities. In all three National Parks the domestic market is crucial as it accounts for high percentage of visits both new and repeat. The effectiveness of the Welsh Government’s attempts to maximise the value of the domestic visitor must be monitored to measure its effectiveness. The findings should then be shared among industry partners. In Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, around 95% of visitors are from the domestic marketing (with the split between Welsh based visitors and those from elsewhere in Britain around 50:50); this trend is mirrored in both Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons National Parks respectively. Numbers have remained relatively stable over the past few years indicating that the Welsh Governments domestic marketing operations are largely effective. Visit Wales should capitalise on findings in the Arup 2013 report ‘Valuing Wales National Parks’ highlighted that the National Parks have a ‘halo’ effect on the rest of the tourism industry in widely drawn, adjacent areas. Major resorts like Llandudno benefit in this way while Tenby has the good fortune to be within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and places like Abergavenny and Brecon both in and around the Brecon Beacons also benefit from the designation. More needs to be done to ensure that the private sector especially those in or near National Parks is aware of and able to capitalise on Visit Wales’s marketing strategy especially that which relates to the tourism ‘pull’ of a high quality environment. Snowdonia National Park Authority has cooperated with the developers of both Snowdonia Zip World and Surf Snowdonia (both outside the boundary), to ensure correlation with their marketing approach and that key messages are shared. In the Brecon Beacons, the NPA co-ordinates the Sustainable Destination Partnership and plays a major role in supporting the private sector gain benefit from the landscape. It hosts the destination website and has managed the brand development process. It also acts as “treasurer” for the Partnership’s joint marketing work. 3.3.3. The effectiveness of Welsh Government attempts to mmaximiseaximise the value of the internatiinternationalonal tourism market Visit Wales should focus its marketing activities at those countries research shows are most likely to visit Wales, particularly those nearest and associated with a relatively smaller carbon footprint. We welcome a well-managed approach to increasing international 4 tourism to our National Parks. National Parks have a vital role integrating tourism growth and the needs of local communities. Visit Wales may consider how it can attract international visitors to Wales through careful marketing of the National Parks as they provide ready-made and highly recognisable destinations. National Parks are widely recognised by people all over the World as encapsulating a nation’s finest landscape(s) and cultural heritage, whilst usually offering opportunities for extensive recreation. For the overseas markets publicity being given through vehicles such as Lonely Planet Guides and through the proven success of the Wales Coast Path means that the attraction of our natural environment is now being recognised by our overseas visitors. Maximising the value of international tourism is important as international visitors often have a higher spend profile than domestic visitors. New and innovative mechanisms for increasing the yield, for example by working with the cruise ship sector and approaching emerging markets with exiting propositions, will be required in order to achieve growth. Providing a compelling offer to international markets, partly based on our National Parks, also provides opportunities for attracting